Of all the challenges Randy Carlyle faces as coach of the Maple Leafs, none may be more difficult than finding a common ground between coach and the immensely talented defenceman, Jake Gardiner.

In a way, it is like having a race horse who needs to be tamed and disciplined.

But without breaking spirit along the way.

An NHL scout, who watched the Leafs first two games in Montreal and Philadelphia called Gardiner’s play erratic through the pre-season and start of the regular season. In the report he filed to his team, he referred to his style of play as “shinny.”

The challenge is both for Carlyle and Gardiner and the trust that needs to be built between them.

Carlyle has to believe in Gardiner to give him more freedom and thus more ice time. Gardiner has to think the game better and adapt more to what the coaching staff wants of him. All this being reminiscent of a great Harry Neale line: “He has to play better to play more or he has to play more to play better.”

It is an unintentional tug of war, but one that needs to be settled for both parties to eventually succeed. The Leafs don’t want to waste Gardiner’s gifts, but there has to be some give and take here.

And if it all works out, the big winner in the end is the hockey club. But there is doubt whether it can work out.

THIS AND THAT

The smartest thing the Leafs could do during the season: Signing Cody Franson long term. He sure looks like a player on the rise ... Quick question: Name the past three cities to host the NBA all-star game? Next question: Name the MVPs of the past three all-star games? That’s how important the NBA all-star game is in the big picture ... PS: What did hosting the MLB all-star game do for Toronto in 1991? If you don’t remember, you’re not alone ... I’m certain that MLSE wouldn’t have housed the NBA all-star game if not for the $500,000 kicked in by the Ontario government. That’s bottom-roster player money for MLSE but it does make them look terrible here, doesn’t it? ... My three stars Thursday night in Philadelphia: 1. Jonathan Bernier; 2. David Bolland. 3. Carlyle. The coach had a masterful night behind the bench, manipulating his lineup, winning matchups on the road, something he doesn’t get enough credit for being able to pull off ... Welcome to the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Eakins. That 4-2 lead ended up as a 5-4 defeat on opening night. Old Oilers habits don’t die easily ... There is a tension around the Philadelphia Flyers that belies the early schedule. When they lost their home opener to the Leafs in a game they had no business losing, there was a sense around their dressing room and management staff that there is already deep concern about this group.

HEAR AND THERE

Leo Cahill, who has moved from Sarnia to Atlanta, won’t make his way to Toronto later this month to be inducted in the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. His health prevents him from travelling. He still isn’t in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and may never be, which remains a great injustice ... Is there anything more boring than the daily conversations that have already begun: Will he get suspended? Will there be a hearing? Will there be a phone call? Ahhhhhhh ... The $10 million Phil Kessel will be paid next season is the highest single-season salary in Leafs history. The previous high: Mats Sundin at $9 million. Kessel’s salary-cap hit comes in at $8 million beginning next season ... For those who keep track of such important matters, Kessel will be paid $40,650 per period next season. If he plays all 82 games, that is ... The day after the frightening George Parros incident in Montreal, the NHL sent out a memo to teams asking them to de-emphasize fighting on their arena scoreboards. The tone of the memo: Let’s try and tone things down, people ... The Blue Jays can’t play but they sure can broadcast. Buck Martinez is doing post-season colour on television, Dirk Hayhust is doing studio and Mark DeRosa, who has a long post-season history as a player, is doing panel work.

SCENE AND HEARD

Years ago, when Robert Baker surrounded me — along with other receivers in the Argos locker room — in an attempt to intimidate, one of the Argos PR people whispered in my ear afterwards that he was the wrong person to pick a fight with. I took the advice. “He’s the kind of guy who could be carrying a gun at any time,” an Argos voice told me then. Not surprised this week to learn that Baker, who had previously done time in prison, stands to spend considerable time in jail after pleading guilty to trafficking heroin and gun charges in Georgia ... Some thing never change: Mike Komisarek was a healthy scratch in his first game with the Carolina Hurricanes ... Two words to describe Patrick Roy as of Saturday afternoon: Undefeated and unapologetic. Roy is in Toronto on Tuesday night with the Avalanche ... Bolland will get his Stanley Cup ring in two weeks when the Leafs play the Blackhawks in Chicago ... Ex-Leaf Mike Kostka made his debut with the Hawks on Saturday night, taking the place of Michal Rozsival. Rozsival isn’t hurt, but Hawks wants to see what Kostka can add while at the same time limiting Rozsival’s playing time ... Reason No. 4,538 why believing in backup quarterbacks as starters is dangerous business: Matt Flynn. For reason No. 4,537 see Kevin Kolb ... A question for Scott Milanovich: Why do the Argos have so many lousy first halves? Why aren’t they ready to play at the beginning of games? ... As things turned out, maybe the Buffalo Bills should have kept quarterback Tarvaris Jackson after giving him a $500,000 signing bonus in the winter before letting him go?

AND ANOTHER THING

If you watched Thursday night’s football game in a bar, without sound, you would have had difficulty identifying who made the terrific Cleveland punt returns. The reason: Travis Benjamin’s hair is so long and bushy it covers up the name on the back of his jersey. Normally, I could care less how long anyone’s hair is. But in this case, a scissors might have been appropriate ... Maybe it’s an optical illusion, but doesn’t it look like the inside receivers in the CFL are just a tiny bit offside on almost every play? ... Strange start to the post-season with baseball scores like 12-2, 9-1, 7-1, 6-1, 6-2. And in between a close game or three ... Will Ricky Romero ever pitch for the Blue Jays again? My bet is no ... Why are the owners of sporting teams always referred to as Mr. As is Mr. Illitch or Mr. Steinbrenner. The commissioner isn’t Mr. Selig or Mr. Bettman. The general managers and players are called by their names. But it’s always Mr. Kraft or Mr. Wilson ... Happy birthday yesterday to Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy. Happy birthday today to Bruno Sammartino (78), Nazem Kadri (23), Pokey Reddick (49), Darren Oliver (43), Daniel Briere (36), Kenny Jonsson (39) and Tony Dungy (58) ... And hey, whatever became of Homer Bush?

PAN AMS A WASTE OF MONEY

What if they held the Toronto International Film Festival next September and not a single star showed up? Not an actor you’d heard of? Not a director or producer of consequence?

Would you go to see movies you weren’t sure about, acted and directed by those you weren’t familiar with?

And if that was the case, what would happen to one of the great Toronto events on the calendar?

TIFF would become the Pan-American Games, a hugely expensive, taxpayer-funded, basically unwanted event, demanded really by no one. And as we’ve found out this week — and will continue to find out for the next two years — the spending historically on these kind of events borders on the out of control.

The Pan-Am Games is a 100-metre race without Usain Bolt, a swim meet without Michael Phelps, a triathlon without Simon Whitfield. A sporting festival without recognizable sporting stars.

STEVIE Y NO HYPOCRITE

I don’t believe Steve Yzerman is being hypocritical regarding his view on fighting in the National Hockey League. I believe he is being progressive in his thinking.

It isn’t at all uncommon for former athletes to view their jobs and their professions differently upon retirement than they did when they played. Ask most athletes about coaches when they played for them and then ask them again years later and the answers will in now be similar.

That isn’t hypocritical of them: It’s growing up, finding perspective, seeing there is more than one side to any story.

When Yzerman calls for change regarding fighting in hockey, he is not slighting the late Bob Probert or forgetting where he came from and was made available to him with the Detroit Red Wings. He is looking at the game, through a different prism, at a more advanced age, but as general manager of Tampa Bay as one of the game’s caretakers. In this case, he and Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford should be listened to, if only to get meaningful discussion going on the place of fighting in hockey and where the game goes from here.

AINGE NO FAN OF WIGGINS

Without mentioning Andrew Wiggins, Boston general manager Danny Ainge made it clear that he doesn’t believe the Canadian will be the next great star in the NBA. In fact, he went out of his way, without naming Wiggins (which he isn’t allowed) to distance himself from the apparent No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

“If Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was out there to change your franchise forever, or Tim Duncan was going to change your franchise for 15 years? That might be a different story,” Ainge said when asked about tanking the season, which appears to be the Celtics strategy. “I don’t see that player out there.”

Ainge is right about one thing, but it may not be Wiggins. He is right about the difficulty of tanking. And a lot of that depends on the year. His Celtics could end up with the worst record in the NBA and because of the lottery system, still not end up with first pick.

That way you’ve tossed the season away and the first pick. There are NBA people, though, whose view on Wiggins is different than Ainge’s. He may not be a big man a la Abdul-Jabbar or Duncan, but there are those who see him as a franchise-changer. It will be intersting to see what happens should Boston wind up with first pick next June: Wonder what Ainge will say then?

Leafs coach Carlyle and Gardiner need to get on the same page

Of all the challenges Randy Carlyle faces as coach of the Maple Leafs, none may be more difficult than finding a common ground between coach and the immensely talented defenceman, Jake Gardiner.

In a way, it is like having a race horse who needs to be tamed and disciplined.

But without breaking spirit along the way.

An NHL scout, who watched the Leafs first two games in Montreal and Philadelphia called Gardiner’s play erratic through the pre-season and start of the regular season. In the report he filed to his team, he referred to his style of play as “shinny.”

The challenge is both for Carlyle and Gardiner and the trust that needs to be built between them.

Carlyle has to believe in Gardiner to give him more freedom and thus more ice time. Gardiner has to think the game better and adapt more to what the coaching staff wants of him. All this being reminiscent of a great Harry Neale line: “He has to play better to play more or he has to play more to play